June 18, 2013

NYSID hosted its quarterly Disabled Veterans’ Summit on Tuesday, June 18 at its Albany office, with Albany County Executive Dan McCoy praising attendees for their commitment to veterans’ initiatives.

“We need these Veterans’ Summits in order to come together to figure out how to best serve the veteran community,” he said. “We’re making great leaps and bounds, and we owe it to our veterans.”

McCoy was sworn into office on January 1, 2012 after serving 12 years as a County Legislator representing the 10th District which contains parts of Albany and Bethlehem. He is currently a member of the New York National Guard where he has earned the rank of Sergeant 1st class. McCoy was deployed to Iraq in 2006 and most recently aided in the disaster relief following Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.

NYSID honored James Haggerty, NYSID’s veterans’ consultant, for his induction into the New York State Senate Veterans’ 2013 Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame was created to honor and recognize outstanding veterans from the Empire State who have distinguished themselves both in military and civilian life. Senator Kathy Marchione from the 43rd Senate District nominated Jim for the honor, which was bestowed upon him May 21.

Haggerty served as a Marine Corps sergeant in the Korean War. While on active duty, he earned a Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, a Navy Presidential Unit Citation, a Combat Action Ribbon, a Korean Presidential Unit Citation, a Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, a New York State Medal for Merit and the New York State Conspicuous Service Star. Haggerty is also Congressman Chris Gibson’s Congressional District Veterans Director.

“We are honored, as always, to have Jim Haggerty join us for our Veterans’ Summit. On this day, we offer him our heartfelt congratulations for his induction into the New York State Senate Veterans’ Hall of Fame, and we salute him for his valor and patriotism,” said Paul Quirini, NYSID’s outreach and communications specialist.

The June 18 Veterans’ Summit included presentations by:

Manuel Torres, veterans services coordinator at SUNY Ulster, which recently opened a Battle Buddy Center on its Stone Ridge campus. The Center serves as a “safe place” for student veterans and provides a space for quiet study where student veterans can get away from the hustle and bustle of campus. SUNY Ulster joins Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, Fedcap in New York City and Clear Path for Veterans in Chittenango as Battle Buddy Centers across New York State. Joining Torres in his presentation were SUNY Ulster administrators Teresa Howard and Wendy McCorry, and student veterans Carl Clark and Maurice Cromartie.

Gary Flaherty, director of the Columbia County Veterans Service Agency. The organization performs outreach to veterans and their families in need across Columbia County, working to prevent homelessness and transporting veterans to and from appointments at the VA. Flaherty was recently appointed New York State Director of Uniformed Services Disabled Veterans and is past president of the New York State Council of Veterans’ Organizations. Flaherty served in the U.S. Army for more than 23 years and retired as a Command Sergeant Major, the highest enlisted rank; among his military awards are the Legion of Merit and the Soldiers Medal for Heroism.

Shawn Miller, graduate student in multimedia photography and design at Syracuse University. Miller served as a public affairs noncommissioned officer and photojournalist in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard for seven years and deployed to northern Iraq from 2010-11 in support of Operation New Dawn. He is working on several projects with the veteran community, including a documentary on public programs and non-profits helping veterans return home from war. Following his master’s program, Shawn is pursuing a career as a freelance documentary journalist and visual storyteller.

Summit attendees observed a moment of silence to honor Lt. Col. Todd Clark, Major Jaimie Leonard and Joseph Morabito, all of whom died recently while serving in Afghanistan.

NYSID’s intent for the Veterans’ Summit is to provide a quarterly in-person clearinghouse for individuals and organizations supporting veterans with disabilities in New York State. The value of the information exchange is to foster collaboration and networking as attendees advance the cause of identifying jobs for veterans with disabilities, particularly as the number of returning veterans with disabilities increases.

Summit participants include state government agencies, not-for-profits, veteran service organizations, Wounded Warriors, and rehabilitation organizations, including NYSID members.

NYSID supports job creation efforts for service veterans through our member agencies and assists other veterans’ support programs, promoting quality of life for veterans as they reconnect to the New York State workforce.